To Ask for your experiences of post natal wards

[RozziPringle]

Mine was Noisy and hot with incredibly overworked midwives. The most memorable incident was around 12 hours after a c-section i was made to get out of bed to walk along 5 corridors to shower, doubled over in agony. When i told the widwife i wasnt going to make it and i felt faint she tutted and muttered about me been lazy under her breath.
There were some fantastic midwives Don't get me wrong but they seemed few and far between.
Im due to give birth in 3 weeks and im dreading going through all this again

Am I alone then in having what I considered a pretty good experience all round? Or perhaps I am easily pleased as in retrospect there were a few moments.

I was a failed induction EMCS due to baby's heartrate dropping (very badly, went down as Red/Amber alert on my notes) and I was a bit confused and shocked as I'd only gone to hospital to get checked over as I was overdue and BP was doing slightly odd things.

Good things: MW assistants or whatever they call them at my trust - almost universally awesome at helping me, talking to me, helping with BF and generally being kind and taking the time to help me. They came along around 10-12 hrs after I had the baby and helped me to the shower and changed my bed whilst I was gone. most of the MWs with the exception of one on my last night in who sort of rolled her eyes at me and was not what you would call entirely sympathetic. But hey, we all have our bad days. The food! It was brilliant and yummy and there was a stack of it. I think I fed my husband with my leftovers. The ward was clean, as were surprisingly the bathrooms and there was plenty of room and free flowing hot drinks.

Bad things: the MW assistant who "looked after" me when when I was moved to the ward. Or, rather, left me alone immobile in a bed without a call button or more pressingly, my baby, to hand. Suspect she may have been very close to going off shift, never saw her again. Again, we can all have thoughtless moments, no bioggie and no harm done. But my last night in hospital was hell on earth and somehow led to someone somewhere deciding that I was having trouble BFing when I had thought we were getting on well - straight on in delivery suite after EMCS, latched on the rest of the time trouble free for the most part even though baby screamed the house down whilst he was about it. But on this occasion I'd had no sleep overnight and was trying to get some rest in the morning and a MW and trainee MW basically followed me round all morning badgering me about BFing my tiny, jaundiced, sleepy baby. With hindsight I can see they may have been concerned about him as he was getting more jaundiced and perhaps a bit de-hydrated but no one explained this or that he would only stop being jaundiced/sleepy by feeding him. I also didn't know - honestly and I did all the classes - that the baby would be hungry literally an hour after feeding him so yes I missed his hunger cues on the occasions he did wake up and ask for food. I left hopsital that evening eventually after begging to go home but I do believe that morning contributed to my eventual failure to BF past 6 wks, the majority of which was achieved via expressing.

But apart from that bad morning I'd say my care throughout was excellent, especially from my community midwives who genuinely seemed thrilled when my baby finally started putting on weight and thriving after a lot of worry and hard work at 3.5 weeks.

Any experiences of Kings College London? I'm having a planned section there in a few weeks and gritting my teeth....

(First was born abroad privately)

Hey otchayniye. I had an emergency CS at King's in the mid-90s. Superb staff handled this. The post-natal ward was very good, but this, apparently was all down to the ward sister/matron, a lady with an unplaceable accent, possibly Austrian or German. She ruled the nurses with a rod of iron. Women on other wards at Kings were envious as she was quite famous for her care of the women on her ward, while other wards were not up to the mark.

She might well have moved on by now, of course.

Good luck.

My mum was admitted to Kings 22 years ago because she started having contractions too early. Instead of monitoring the twins heartbeats, they monitored my mums instead.

She said the loos were covered in blood. she had such little faith in their ability to care for her babies properly, she discharged herself and my dad drove her back to Wales to give birth.

Was 22 years ago and it has hopefully improved, but tbh, I'd go elsewhere otchayaniye

First birth......

10 days late called hosp at 10pm they actually laughed at DH and said not to bring me in...
1130 i called them myself and TOLD them i was comming... went in got put in a room on our own as far as you could get from theor desk no one checked on me.... eventually given gas and air i told them i think missy was on her way - they said no and kept trying to send dh home saying baby woulnd't come untill tomorrow lunchtime (he was pertiried thoughout) 1am they gave me pethidine in my thigh - dont know what they hit with the nedle but my leg gushed blood - swimmingly out of my tree i go for a 'wee'...... and locked the door DH bless him kept trying to get me to open door i was sooooo out of my tree i couldnt even get up off the floor app i just kept telling him there was lots of blood ad it will be fine ;)eventually DH had to break lock off door as no key could be found and him and midwife (who i hadnt met) dragged me accross the coridor and onto a bed and out popped missy... shockly bad aftercare and i discharged myself.

With the twins it was a planned section (breech) that bit was lovley the aftercare was not..... twins placed together in a cot just out of reach for me on a ward heaving with other woman (most didnt speack english and were surounded with at least 8 family members) no one came when i rang bell no help taking care (feeding/nappies etc..) and the bloody woman in the cubical next door brought in at 2am and demanded every 8min that her catherter be removed and somone to take her for a fag.... then there was the awfull 'twinkle twinkle at 4am.
1 aux woman was lovley she chatted to me (DH was at home with dd) helped me dress the twins and even helped me feeding (although she kept saying she wasnt trained and wasnt suposed to give advice - she had 4 of her own though) if i could have gotten out of bed i would have hugged her!!!

1st ended up in ecs after 2 days failed induction,after they broke my waters pain got bad,they refused any pain relife unless i argeed to epidrual :( which then hindered the labour as baby ended up with his back to my back and being a big boy (9lb3) was hard for him to move down as i was stuck in bed,ended up being knocked out as epi didnt work for section spent 7 days in total,after care wasnt too bad.

ds2 after being refused a scan at 37 weeks as i didnt have a big baby i went again 2 weeks over,in & out of labour,waters broke day before inducment-had gel & drip but not working his heart rate dropped-told it would be section again=me in floods of tears!they got doc round to chat to me about options for the section(he was so lush he could have done whatever!lol).
went for spinal block,worked a treat and saw son being born-he was 11lb so thats why he didnt fit(had x-ray after 1st and was told anythingover 10lb wouldnt fit)
after care was shit,got told off for asking midwife if she could get some warm water as i had run out while changing nappy yet she was stood chatting to her friend who had had a baby.
left in wet dressing which led to infection in my wound :(

twins-went in 3 weeks early to have them,was put in own room,no help,had a bed i couldnt get out off,told off for asking for 2 bottles of milk even tho they knew i had 2,told to make them share(they ended up with thrush)
discharged myself after 2nd night.

Thanks, I've only got two weeks to go and my antenatal care has been fantastic so far so haven't thought to change hospitals.

I do have healthcare but it won't cover non-medical ELCS in the UK (I've chosen ELCS over VBAC)

Can I ask, those who have experienced good care in midwifery led units specifically, what do you think the difference is? Do you think the fact that overall MLUs are less busy contributes? Or is it the type of women giving birth ther? Or a combo of the two? What I'm trying to say is, although the rudeness and nastiness some of you have experienced is not acceptable but how come these midwives only ever find themselves working in large consultant led units? Am I making sense to anyone but myself? Is it possible there is a correlation between working conditions and general demeanour?

For those that have indicated a West / Southwest London hospital, was it Chelsea & Westminster? I am due there in Oct and the few people whom I know who have delivered their babies there made no qualms about telling me that the after care was so bad they would happily give birth in a barn instead of going back there.

Despite these stories scaring the living daylights out of me on the upside they have also ensured I?m going to be better prepared for a potential nightmare.

I am absolutely sure that working conditions make a huge difference to midwife's ability to be kind caring and patient. Not because of my experience of being a midwife, I'm not one, but of doing another stressful job in a poorly managed place where I was poorly supported. I left because I could see myself beginning to treat my clients less well because I didn't have the tine and resources to do my job. It erodes your professionalism as helplessness and frustration creep in. Only astonishing staff can thrive in those conditions, not even the good and very good. No one can justify the horrendous times had by people on this thread, and I am pretty sure midwives wouldn't either. The campaign those experiences should inspire should be one of getting a situation where midwives can do the job they aspired to, trained to do and gain satisfaction from doing properly.

Agreed. It's horrible and demoralising and so frustrating. For us and you (it was my poor postnatal care with my first that inspired me to do my training) so I can see it from both sides.)

Not great.

I am a T1 diabetic and was booked for an elcs at 38.5 weeks.

I went on to the post natal ward the night before the cs as I had said I might not be able to fast for 12 hours before the operation, as I might have a low blood sugar overnight and therefore need to eat. The agreed plan was that I would check in at 8pm and if I became low before the cs, the staff would put me on an IV glucose drip so that I could remian nil by mouth. Sure enough, I woke at 6am with a low blood sugar. I got out of bed and told the midwife on duty. Her response was "what do you want me to do? Make some toast?" I explained my care plan to her (hard to do while blood sugars are dropping!) and she refused to organise the drip, saying it was necessary despite me waving my copy of the care plan at her. I went back to my bed and had some juice and a cereal bar. So basically, I ended up having the cs when I hadn't been nil by mouth and had also been refused a shower with that anti-germ soap they give you. The theatre staff were furious.

After the cs, back on the ward, I was not given any help to breastfeed. I was still barely more than horizontal after the cs and kept asking the midwives all night if I was doing it right and they would just say 'yes' without even looking. I left the hospital three days later with my nipples in pieces so I think probably wasn't doing it right.

When I got out of bed after the morning after the cs, the midwife who sorted me out was a bit brutal taking out the catheter. I told her she was hurting me and she said "No I'm not!" She pulled me out of bed and told me to go and get a shower. I was crying because I couldn't walk and was in pain, and she barked at me to stand up straight and said "Don't have the water too hot or they'll be blood EVERYWHERE!" Just what I wanted to hear.

The food in the post natal ward was horrible and as a T1 diabetic, trying to recover from surgery and establish a milk supply, it provided about 10% of the calories I needed. On my care plan, it said I should have wholemeal toast which I didn't get. When I asked if I could have some I was told it 'wasn't a hotel' I know that, but I was asking from the point of view of a medical need!

Anyway, rant over. It would appear my experiences were small fry compared to most on here.

I've said midwives in my post, but I actually don't know if they were midwives or maternity nurses or whatever.

The cs was a lovely experience, everyone in theatre and recovery was very kind and did lots to make it feel special. I feel very grateful for that.

my labour room staff were really good, professional, kind, a credit to the healthcare system. I saw a midwife, two doctors, an anesthetist, and they were all excellent.

The post-labour ward was horrendous. I was transferred there less than two hours after giving birth, my DP was immediately told he'd 'outstayed his welcome' and had to leave. The nurse (midwife? i dont know) STANK of fags, had long yellow nails, which was fairly unpleasant when dealing with tiny newborns. I was struggling to breastfeed, i'd read about it, i'd asked questions about it, but when it came down to it, i just didnt know how to make it work. she was impatient with me, fucked off and when i buzzed for help, sent the cleaner. I buzzed several times and she never came back.

I had a catheter in that they refused to remove, even though the pouch was clearly full, i was told to go and empty it myself, it was left in for 24 hours unnecessarily.

My DD kept vomiting the first day we were in hospital, and Fagnails kept coming in asking me what the problem was. I didn't know, she just kept being sick, and this woman acted like it was my fault. She then stripped my DD, took her temperature, tried to give her a bottle and declared 'she won't take a bottle' before fucking off again.

if i could go back and punch that woman i would.

A lot of these experiences sound familiar. Some years ago, I trained and went on to work as a midwife in the maternity unit of a large London teaching hospital.
It was shocking to witness the rudeness/disrespect shown by many of the midwives, health care assistants and housekeeping staff when speaking to the mothers and indeed their own colleagues.

Some like minded colleagues and I reported these matters to management but were told that the unit staffing levels were at crisis point and they therefore could not institute any form of investigation etc unless a patient made a formal complaint.This never happened. Many of the mothers were vulnerable and English was not their first language .

I subsequently went to work in Ireland and couldn't believe how nice the midwives were to the mums.

I'm really glad somebody has brought this up because I was about to do it myself. I've had varying degrees of care.
Solihull Hospital 2008
1st c section - excellent care, great pain relief, I was always being checked on, lots of the nurses were helpful and kind, I saw the same one.morphine

St Michaels Hospital Bristol May 2011
2nd Section
Just awful. My DS delivery was really good, but I was left with a drain in.
I was only given parcetamol and voltrol for pain relief and it wasn't enough. Oramorph was given but you had to ask for it. I was in pain through my time in hospital, there was no need. The MW took out my drain with the oramorph and I cried. I never saw her again. I got woken up at 6 to have my cathether removed but didn't explain why. I felt I couldn't get out of bed to go to wee.
I never saw anybody from the drain to when the midwives changed shifts in the night. My ward was full, one had twins. I was the only section patient and they were more concerned with getting those out that day.
I had to walk to get my food and push my baby, it took longer to walk there about 400 mtrs, than to eat it. I just felt abandoned and in constant pain. No nobody checked on me to see if I had eaten or drunk anything. The drink was out of reach.
The next morning, I got asked 3 times if I had breakfast, I was the only one on the ward! But I couldn't wait to leave. I wasn't seen at home for 3 days because of home births.
All in all an awful experience and I never want to go back to that hospital again. Some MW were excellent, but just the general care was bad. I asked for a feedback form and wrote my complaint on it.
My mum said you have a choice to forget about it and move on or complain properly.
It's upset me thinking about this again. My son is only 10 weeks old and it was hard bonding because I felt in pain all of the time, I'm still in pain now.I just wanted to go home.
The thing is I knew care could have been better, I had better, and I felt because of the cutbacks, I was in pain because they didn't want to buy morphine, which is expensive. My scar was infected too and I picked up some tummy bug too.
I can't even go near the hospital. Don't make me go back.
Please have a campain about this.

Rubbish. Lying in bloody sheets for three days, too busy to change them. Stiflingly hot. Filthy toilets. Used sanitary towels spilling out all into the corridor. Dismissive, bolshy midwives and nurses. One midwife - as she was breaking my waters - telling me the docs and consultant who decided to induce me were stupid and she hoped my baby wasn't born dead! Faulty wheelchair which tipped me over onto the floor as I was pushed to special care to see my daughter day after emcs. Never known pain like it.

I could go on. With both my babies I'd put the general standard as appalling.

Also my SIL is a GP, she asked about my care and said that PR in maternity wards could be a lot to be desired.
Also, that MW work on post birth wards because they are crap. If they were better they would be delivering the babies, so they are put out of harms way. The night ones the worst.

Mine was pretty crap - not downright dangerous like a lot of others here but experience of several rude, uncaring mws.

Had originally planned a home birth but no midwives available. Fair enough, understand they are short-staffed and I was advised in advance that this might be the case so I stayed at home for most of the day as not much happening and then decided to go to hospital to be checked out when nobody had arrived or even called to check on me some time later. As it turned out I was further along than first thought so ended up staying in.

First midwife sat in the labour room with her back to me for several hours, barely said a word, didn't examine me again and kept wandering off. Also refused me pethidine twice as "it would make the baby drowsy." Luckily the second midwife I had was much kinder and got me drugs straightaway!!

Ds born at roughly 3am, got onto ward by around 6am, DH sent straight home immediately after the birth as he couldn't come anywhere near the ward and no private rooms available.

Woken up two hours later for breakfast after a 22 hour labour. Ds still sleeping. Not impressed.

Had to sit in bed all day until visiting time, blood stained towels, bedding etc not changed, nobody checked on me (apart from one lady who it turned out worked for Bounty ) or offered painkillers, everyone was too busy until DH eventually arrived and started being demanding.

Was not allowed to be discharged until ds had latched on and fed for ten mins by himself. Milk hadn't come in yet, only colostrum and ds had taken all he wanted, definitely not ten mins' worth! There was a woman opposite who had been in for a week for the same reason. Midwife eventually rocked up and insisted I give him a bottle as I "wasn't doing it properly", then seemed pretty pleased with herself to tell me I wouldn't be able to breastfeed him at all now due to "teat confusion" - this all turned out to be bollocks. When I left I actually received some helpful advice from a local support group who knew what they were talking about.

I was completely fine, straightforward delivery, no complications, wanted to get home. Ds was fine, all checks carried out. Firstly it was the feeding, then it was the paperwork. Told we would be allowed home in half hour, an hour, another half hour. Missed lunch and dinner as was sitting with my bags packed waiting to be released, assuming I wouldn't have time. Eventually got out at ten thirty pm not having eaten or slept, with some choice comments from the professionals supposed to be caring for me ringing in my ears. In the end, I just had to get tough and threaten to discharge myself. No reason for either of us to be kept in. Certainly no excuse for the rudeness!

This time I am considering a birthing unit in a different hospital after concerns in the local press about cleanliness at this one plus a nurse at my doctors' surgery mentioning off the record that there was no way she would give birth there herself.

As I said, nothing too drastic, I'm just having a moan but most of this thread makes for shocking reading.

Oh and my premature baby was born 10.41pm and taken to special care. But I didn't get to see her for another 13 hours because they couldn't transport me down to special care due to having no staff to help me out of bed or go find a wheelchair or be able to even direct my DH to one.

13 fucking hours without even seeing your baby due to no staff or equipment.

Some of the mw were great, I found the older ones and those on nights were the worst!

Razzle I was the pretty much the same 10 hours before they would take me to nicu then only got 15 mins before they bought me back to the ward then 16 hours before I could go down again

They also sent my notes down to pharmacy the day after ds3 was born at 8 in the morning and didn't get them back till gone 6 at night so had no painkillers all day after an emcs where they cut me from hip to hip and also cut realy high into my womb

I laboured for several days then had EMCS. Staff up to that point were fabulous. Then I went to the post natal ward that evening and had absolutely horrendous time. Nurses/midwives were rude, bullying, impatient. There's one that I thought was downright sadistic. At one point I fell asleep ( due to 48+ hours with no sleep) and was woken up by being hit - literally thumped - on the leg and told 'your baby is crying - put them on the breast!'. I got no help breastfeeding that night, no help to sit up, nothing. It was my first baby - I didn't have a clue what to do.
The next pregnancy I was horrified at the thought of going back there and was sent to talk to one of the more senior midwives. At first she told me that the midwives were tired and overworked, but as I sat there in tears she softenend a bit and admitted that she knew what I meant. She said one midwife had said to her 'why are you so nice to the patients? It only makes them expect it.'

I think for me there is a distinction between overworked and stressed midwives, and people who are used to working in a culture of bullying, intimidation and disrespect. It is easy to bully powerless women who have just had major surgery and I don't accept that some of the treatment I got was purely down to overwork and not enough staff.
My experiences were at St Mary's Hospital Paddington and were quite a while ago now. Still not forgotten or forgiven.

wonderful caring and dedicated, with each of my 3 ds, the care was great, the hospital was clean and the staff were brilliant. I planned to bf when I was pg and just goton with it, staff were on hand to help.